The Dragon Lord System
S2 - Before Despair

The Dungeon Nests they entered were truly sinister, far more terrifying than they had expected.

Its wide, winding passageways gave the impression that they were in an endless place. Its pitch-brown walls added a mysterious aura around them.

Meanwhile, the dim light from the light gemstones scattered along the hallway, providing enough lighting to avoid the wrong steps.

"Why do I feel like I'm getting into a big monster's belly?" muttered Alex.

"Hmm, this passageway is truly endless. How could a monster nest of this size be in the forest?" viona said, a dumbfounded expression on her face.

The Tigris, attentively, tried to take note of every road they passed. "We have to be careful and not get lost here. I'll take note of every bend and special sign in this hallway so we can safely return."

Meanwhile, Rio remained calm, watching his surroundings vigilantly. "If there's anything strange, tell me right away. We must remain vigilant of all possibilities."

Their journey deepened into the passage of this mysterious dungeon.

"Hmm, we've walked quite deeply, but the beetles haven't come out yet" Tigris said in a small voice to all his friends.

"Do you feel like someone is watching us? Hmm, I think the beetles are swearing and watching us from a distance in this less light" Alex told Rio.

Rio nodded in agreement. He could sense the presence of beetles around them, but could not see them, probably because they were hiding in a dark and hidden place.

In this hallway, the light was indeed very dim, perhaps that was the reason why they had trouble seeing clearly.

Not long after, Alex asks Zay, the magic caster, to use lighting magic to illuminate their surroundings. "Zay, use your illumination magic, so we can all see clearly this place."

Zay nodded and quickly began chanting his magic spell, "[Radiant Light]!"

At that very moment, an orb with a bright light enveloped them, illuminating their previously pitch-black path.

The light from Zay's illumination magic made the environment brighter, but there was still no sign of beetles or other insects.

Alex shook his head, "It's weird... Before I sensed someone watching in the dim light, and now it's getting a little light thanks to your magic, Zay. But look around us, there are no beetles or insects hiding in this hallway. It gives me a bad feeling."

The whole party listened to Alex and nodded in agreement.

Lara added with a puzzled question, "Betul, we've walked quite a distance in this hallway, but the beetles that are hiding have not attacked us. What the hell is going on here?" Lara pondered for a moment, trying to understand the mystery behind the beetle's absence.

Rio who tried to give an explanation, "Horn beetles are insects that have the lowest threat level and certainly rely on large numbers to attack their enemies. Usually, the nest or dungeon of weak insects will be filled with beetles scattered everywhere, ranging from the entrance of the dungeon to the nest of their queen, the boss of this dungeon."

"From this situation, it looks like something is blocking the beetle from coming out or maybe even controlling it" Viona said with speculation.

Their eyes returned to the quiet and empty surroundings. They knew that there was something hidden by this dungeon.

They continued to carefully walk inside that dark and mysterious dungeon. They felt increasingly wary because of this unusual situation. Not a single monster or beetle attacked them, and it made them even more suspicious.

"Why does everything feel so quiet? It looks like something is not right here," Lara said in a cautious tone.

"Yes, very strange. Usually the beetles always annoy us with their boring attacks" Alex added, scratching his hairy head.

"But now they're disappearing out of nowhere" said Zay, the magic caster, in surprise.

"There must be something controlling them or blocking them from getting out" Rio said with a sharp mind.

These five party members continued to roam the dungeon, paying more attention to every detail around them. However, except for the suspicious brown-tinged walls, there were no other signs of the presence of monsters or insects.

"It looks like we need to remain vigilant and cautious" Viona said in a serious manner. "Who knew we'd find something big at the end of this dungeon."

"There may be a huge monster sleeping and watching us from a distance" the Tigris joked with a sly smile.

"Don't make jokes that make the atmosphere even more tense," Alex replied with a slight tinge of emotion.

In the distance of the dark hallway with a dim light, there was a sound of footstroke that was getting closer to them.

Lara quickly reminded the rest of her party seriously, "Did you also hear that leg-banging sound?" All the members looked at each other, and unexpectedly, they were all aware of the leg beating.

"It turns out we're not alone here, are we?" viona said with a tense tone.

"Yes, there seems to be a large group of insects rushing towards us. Don't let your guard down, be prepared!" rio said seriously to all his comrades.

Quickly, they all pulled out their flagship weapons, ready to face the attack of beetle monsters that might come.

The Tigris, acting as Tank and Support, prepares to use its buff magic to strengthen the entire party.

"No need, save your man for more important things" said Alex as he pulled out his flagship sword steadily.

"Ok, Captain," the Tigris replied respectfully.

The sound of the foot pounding was getting closer and louder. They are ready to face anything that will come out of the dark hallway.

"Prepare!" alex said as their leader firmly.

The sound of a rushing sound drew closer, and from a distance were seen monsters charging at them. Viona was shocked when she saw the skeleton running towards them.

"HAAAHHH?? Skeleton Undead? In this insect dungeon?" says surprised.

The other five party members were also shocked. They should have been in a beetle nest, not faced with an Undead Skeleton creature like this.

Rio also expressed his astonishment, "This is so strange and magical, is this dungeon Boss an Undead Beetle?"

"Okay, but I'm sure this dungeon Boss must be weak, HAHAHA," Alex replied confidently.

"Yes, you're right, Alex! Look, Boss dungeon just placed a weak skeleton undead in this place, haha," cried Tigris while laughing loudly. All the party members laughed happily.

Rio clapped his hands to signal to stop laughing and focus on the enemy. The entire party finally stopped laughing and focused on Rio's words.

"Alright, then I lead this attack strategy, to be more effective" Rio told his friend.

Alex replied, "No problem," because he knew that before Rio left the Phantom Nemesis party, Rio was their strategist.

Rio quickly gave instructions to Lara, the Elf ranger, to prepare to attack.

"Lara, use your AOE Ranger and Crowd Control arrow skills from a distance and wait for my cues before attacking," Rio said, and Lara nodded obediently.

Next, Rio continued, "Tigris, inject some of your holy magic into Lara's bow weapon quickly!" The Tigris swiftly injected holy magic into Lara's bow and arrow.

Rio also said to Viona, Zay, and Alex to store their mana and stamina just in case of facing this dungeon boss. So they are just silent and ready to act if needed.

With a predetermined strategy, the entire party members stood upright, ready to face the onslaught of the giant beetle monster and the approaching Undead Skeleton.

"Wait until they get close, don't shoot arrows before my cue!" rio whispered to Lara firmly.

They waited patiently and carefully. As the monsters got closer, Rio gave a cue, "NOW!"

Without hesitation, Lara immediately used her Ranger skill, [Binding Shot], with an arrow reinforced by holy magic from the Tigris, heading towards the group of Undead Skeletons that ran over them from a distance.

[Binding Shot] was a skill that took out many arrows capable of binding the enemies where they stood, limiting their movements for a few moments.

"Shoots... Shoots... Shoot.." there's a gunshot coming from Lara's arrow.

Many [Binding Shot] arrows were amplified by the holy magic regarding the Undead Skeleton, and instantly the group of monsters became motionless for a while. The effect of the holy magic in Lara's arrow skill turned a bunch of Undead Skeletons into ashes, adding an incredible effect to the attack.

A few minutes passed, the situation continued to heat up as the Undead Skeleton attacks never subsided and continued to arrive from the direction of the dark hallway.

Lara continued firing arrows nonstop, but it seemed endless. He complained, "This is crazy! There is no end to it! If this continues, we will be exhausted, while the undead do not tire!"

Alex, who saw the situation, realized they had to do something. He spoke to Rio, Viona, and Zay, "You don't want to, we have to help them."

Without hesitation, the four of them moved forwards together, preparing for their attack. Rio drew his sword, Viona held her pair of small daggers, Alex prepared with her sword, Tigris raised her shield and Zay raised her hand and prepared to cast her magic spell.

"Don't let your guard down!" rio exclaimed, and his five immediately plunged into battle.

Rio moved with agility, cutting and slicing the Undead Skeleton with quick and precision movements. Viona used her dagger to immobilize some undead, while Alex swung his sword with devastating force. The Tigris acts as a shield, protecting its comrades from enemy attacks. And Zay attacked using his magic.

Not long after, with teamwork, they managed to overcome the undead invasion.

They saw many undead turning into dust, signifying that they had managed to defeat him. And just then as it was also being pushed into the dark distance, they saw something big.

In an instant, the atmosphere turned tense as they saw Cerberus, a hellhound with three heads, emerge from the distant passageway. Alex immediately gave a warning, "It seems that the dungeon Boss is out, it's time to get serious."

The five party members tensed their muscles, ready to fight against the dungeon Boss.

...

After a long fight with all their might, they managed to overcome fatigue and cripple the powerful monster.

"We haven't fought a dungeon Boss this strong for a long time. HAHAHA, isn't it, Rio?" alex said cheerfully.

"You're right, Alex. The last time we faced an enemy this strong was when we were young. Ah, how missed I was in my youth back then, HAHAHAHA," Rio replied with his trademark laugh that made the other party members come to the edge.

After a moment of rest, Rio gave the order to take the dungeon core from Cerberus' body. The core of the dungeon was a valuable item they could sell to earn huge rewards. By ending the story of this mysterious beetle, they can also diffuse rumors circulating and report to King Theovilus.

Alex nodded, quickly splitting Cerberus' head with his sword.

Instead of getting the Dungeon Core gemstone. He even saw the corpse of the dog Cerberus, turned into stone and immediately also broke into pieces.

In an instant, Alex turned tense and anxious. Bafflement and fear filled him.

"I-It's Mu-Impossible! Was this strange giant dog monster a Golem and not the boss of this dungeon? This dog golem alone was already very strong to fight against the six of us with all his might. Means this dungeon boss is stronger than this dog Golem! This is serious, serious, serious! We need to get out of here as soon as possible!" alex muttered with a pale face, while sweating coldly and his heart skipped a beat.

In a panic, Alex shouted to all his friends, "QUICKLY ESCAPE FROM HERE! RUN QUICKLY OUT OF THIS DUNGEON! HURRY ALONG! THIS ISN'T A DUNGEON WE CAN BEAT!" Alex's shout made the entire party members move swiftly.

Rio, who was smoking, was also surprised to see Alex's serious reaction. He stopped his activity and carefully observed the circumstances around.

The Tigris, Viona, Zay, and Lara who were lying on the floor were shocked to hear the cries of their leader, Alex, who appeared to be serious.

They immediately stood up and prepared to run away and ran away from this dungeon.

However, before they could escape, suddenly the floor around them lit up brightly, and a circular magic sigil surrounded them.

"What'sthis? Why can't we run away?" muttered Viona in surprise.

"It turns out there's a barrier magic all around us!" exciting Zay.

Without being able to do anything about it, they suddenly teleported to the lower floors of the dungeon.

As they opened their eyes, they found themselves in a room much larger than before.